2025 Ford Bronco Sport

There seem to be as many compact SUVs to choose from as fish in the sea. Most obediently serve their drivers with practicality, efficiency, and value. The 2025 Ford Bronco Sport does all that, yet it also goes against the flow. The Ford Bronco Sport is simply meant for more.

Taking a cue from its big brother Bronco off-road SUV, the Bronco Sport isn’t afraid to get dirty. Where other compact SUVs offer all-wheel drive and a modicum of off-road ability, the Bronco Sport has all-wheel drive standard and the goods and guts to go farther off the beaten path. That is only emphasized this year with the introduction of the Sasquatch package.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of compact SUVs, including the Ford Bronco Sport.

The headline this year is the introduction of the Sasquatch package for the Bronco Sport. Modeled after that similarly named package for the Bronco, here it brings increased ride height, a dual-clutch torque vectoring rear-drive unit, specialized rear shocks, all-terrain tires, steel underbody bash plates, oversized recovery hooks, and a front brush guard.

All 2025 Bronco Sport models benefit from a larger 13.2-inch touchscreen capable of over-the-air updates and an accessory tray on the dashboard with built-in USB-C ports.

The 2025 Ford Bronco Sport starts higher than rivals like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Nissan Rogue, and its brother, the Ford Escape. Keep in mind that the Bronco Sport has all-wheel drive as standard, which costs extra on these rivals. Other more rugged compact SUVs include the Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-50, which both begin a bit less than the Ford.

The Ford Bronco Sport’s resale value is near the top of its class. A higher resale value can mean more money for your next vehicle when it’s time to sell or trade in.

Most versions of the Bronco Sport SUV have a relatively modest 181 horsepower from a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine. That’s pretty much the same as the Subaru Forester and about 20 hp shy of the Toyota RAV4. As long as the stylized ruggedness of the Bronco Sport is the main attraction, this will do the job.

In the context of the Bronco Sport, GOAT does not mean “greatest of all time.” But the tongue-in-cheek reference is kind of fun. Instead, it refers to this SUV’s ability to “go over any type of terrain.”

While the Bronco Sport won’t quite do the extreme off-roading its big brother Bronco can, the Sport is no slouch, especially in Badlands trim, thanks to its advanced all-wheel-drive system, which comes with five GOAT driving modes in its terrain response feature. This pairing is exclusive to the more powerful of the two engines available, a 250-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder unit. With the arrival of the Sasquatch package this year, the Bronco Sport is only upping its off-pavement potential for buyers looking to get adventurous.

We’ve found the ride quality to be not quite as refined as typical compact SUVs like the Honda CR-V and Kia Sportage, which have no real intention of straying away from the tarmac. Instead, the Bronco Sport is a little rougher, especially the more off-road-oriented Badlands.

Fuel economy

The turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine achieves 26 combined mpg (25 city, 29 highway). That’s the same as the Subaru Forester Wilderness. The other Forester trims and the RAV4 have better fuel economy. The Bronco Sport Badlands’ 2.0-liter engine turbo 4-cylinder earns an unimpressive 23 combined mpg (21 city, 26 highway).

You’ll notice quite a bit of plastic in the Bronco Sport’s 2-row/5-passenger cabin, but it isn’t just for cost savings. Like the cloth upholstery in the lower trims, it’s meant to be cleaned easily after an excursion through the mud. Rubberized flooring has the same goal. Higher trims get plusher upholstery, and we love that different models have an interior to reflect their nature. For example, the Free Wheeling model has pops of color reflecting a sunset in both the front and back seats.

For 2025, all Bronco Sport models benefit from an upgraded touchscreen, now measuring 13.2 inches. Also new this year is an accessory tray in the dashboard with built-in USB-C ports, which can power something like a dashcam or GoPro to record all your adventures.

The rear legroom of 36.9 inches doesn’t quite match that of a Subaru Forester (39.4 inches), but it is still acceptable. Cargo space is more of a mixed blessing. The Bronco Sport outdoes the Forester for luggage area behind the rear seats: 32.5 or 29.4 cubic feet (a more sophisticated all-wheel-drive system with the 2.0-liter engine takes up extra room), compared with 28.9. When the rear seats are folded, the Forester enjoys 74.4 (Base trim) or 69.1 cubic feet, while the Bronco Sport makes 65.2 or 60.6 cubic feet.

Retro-inspired design still has its place as long as the source of inspiration is cool. In the case of the larger Ford Bronco, cool is an understatement.

The 2025 Bronco Sport echoes the chunky squared-off lines of that classic SUV. They make sense from a functional perspective because it’s easier to gauge where the corners are while driving off-road.

The Bronco and this Bronco Sport appear to have sprung from the same pen. Each vehicle has the word Bronco spelled across the grille in upper-case letters. But the Bronco Sport doesn’t have a removable roof or removable doors.

But for 2025, the Bronco Sport does get to share something special with its bigger brother: the option of a Sasquatch package. Available for the Outer Banks and Badlands models, the Sasquatch treatment grants more ground clearance, all-terrain tires, steel underbody bash plates, recovery hooks, and a front brush guard.

In the back of every Bronco Sport is a convenience we always like to see: The tailgate’s window opens separately. That’s quite handy for dropping something into the luggage area without having to lift the whole thing.

Two trims stand out visually. The Free Wheeling model catches your eye with its red/orange/yellow stripes along the sides in a kind of sunset (or sunrise) pattern, plus alloy wheels with red accents. The Heritage offers Robin’s Egg Blue, similar to the color found on the vintage Bronc. This cool pastel is set off with white highlights, including the wheels and roof.

Safari-style roof
The high roof of the 2025 Bronco Sport SUV not only provides generous headroom for passengers, it also allows the installation of an optional interior bike rack that can stow a couple of mountain bikes upright (with their front wheels removed).

OTA updates
The 2025 Bronco Sport’s new 13.2-inch touchscreen is not only bigger than before, it’s capable of over-the-air (OTA) updates, a convenience many of us are used to on our phones.

Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist+
This suite includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane-centering functionality , plus blind-spot monitoring, evasive steering assist, and more.

Front-facing 180-degree camera
Off-roading can be tough and challenging, and there’s always some obstacle that’s hard to spot. This wide-angled camera takes a lot of the stress out of the experience. It’s standard on the Badlands model.

B&O setup
Bang & Olufsen equipment is more often found in luxury cars like Audi or Aston Martin. So to find one in a Ford is a joyful occasion for audiophiles. This optional 10-speaker/560-watt surround-sound B&O system has been tuned especially for the Bronco Sport.

Sasquatch package
New for 2025 and available for the top two trims, this off-road package further upgrades the Bronco Sport for more serious off-road adventures.

In four of the five 2025 Bronco Sport SUV trims, propulsion comes from a turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine making 181 hp and 190 lb-ft of torque. The Badlands model has a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine developing 250 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque.

These output figures are achieved with premium gasoline, but regular gas may be used.

Both engines connect to an 8-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive is standard across the lineup. The 3-cylinder engine can tow up to 2,000 pounds, and the bigger unit can handle 2,200 pounds.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

Ford’s new-vehicle warranty lasts three years or 36,000 miles, whichever happens first. Powertrains are covered for five years or 60,000 miles, which includes roadside assistance. This guarantee is typical among mainstream manufacturers.

Safety Ratings

The Bronco Sport has won the highest accolade of Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and gained a maximum 5-Star overall score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Standard safety features include forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assistance, and automatic high beams.